New beginning

For three long decades, the people of Cyprus have been held hostage to a diplomatic impasse that sliced their island in two, separated families from their homes, poisoned relations between Gre-ece and Turkey and thwarted Turkey’s desire to strengthen its links to the West by joining the European Union (EU). Now that impasse has abruptly yielded to hope. There is a very good chance that a compromise could be reached in time for the EU to admit a reunified Cyprus in May and to authorise negotiations on Turkish membership in December.

PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey ended years of obstructionism on the part of the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, and his powerful backers in the Turkish military, by making clear that Turkey’s paramount national interests require a Cyprus settlement. Under Kofi Annan’s UN plan, Cyprus would be reunified under a federal government.

Whatever the final outcome, the bold and constructive leadership shown by the

Erdogan government on this issue should clinch Turkey’s long-stalled case for EU membership. Some of those who still hesitate have questioned the depth of Turkey’s democratic institutions, expressing doubts over whether the elected civilian government can bring the military into line. That is just what Erdogan has now done over Cyprus, one of the most sensitive issues in Turkish politics. — The New York Times